West Indies explain decision to change Test captain

Dumped as West Indies vice-captain just four months ago and told to focus on his batting, veteran opener Kraigg Brathwaite has now been installed as the full-time skipper of the Windies' Test side.

Braithwaite was last week named captain for the upcoming series against Sri Lanka, replacing star allrounder Jason Holder, who the Windies say remains "a very integral part" of their Test set-up.

Last November, Braithwaite was removed as Test vice-captain for their tour of New Zealand after a run of low scores, with Roston Chase stepping up as Holder's deputy for that series.

"We thought it important at this time to allow Kraigg Brathwaite, who has been the vice-captain for a while, to just pay a little more attention, to focus a little more on his batting," chief selector Roger Harper said at the time.

"He has not been in the best of form for a little while … we thought the relieving of the responsibility would allow him to focus some more on his batting."

But after Braithwaite led an under-strength side to victory in Bangladesh last month, he has now been installed as full-time skipper for the Sri Lanka series, while Chase has been dropped from the squad altogether and Jermaine Blackwood named as vice-captain.

Holder and Chase were among a handful of senior players who had opted out of the Bangladesh tour due to health concerns.

In their absence, the Windies stormed to a famous 2-0 series win as new heroes like spinner Rakheem Cornwall and batsman Kyle Mayers thrived under the leadership of Braithwaite, who made scores of 76, 20, 47 and 6 with the bat having averaged just 13.5 in four innings against New Zealand.

"Sometimes a few months can be a very long time," Harper said on Saturday.

"Bangladesh really opened our eyes to a number of things. What we saw was a team playing with passion, playing with determination, rallying around each other, great teamwork, and showing a great desire to succeed. Kraigg played a major part in that.

"We also saw Kraigg's batting returning to the sort of form that we expect and look forward to. He handled the responsibility very well and I expect big scores to come from Kraigg in the very near future.

"(In) areas where we thought there was a need for improvement, we saw exactly the sort of effort and spirit and the birth of a culture that we would really like to see go forward and develop and be instilled."

Harper added that Chase, the allrounder with five Test hundreds to his name who famously took figures of 8-60 in a Test against England two years ago, had effectively been edged out of the side after the stunning debuts from middle-order batsmen Mayers and Nkrumah Bonner in the win over Bangladesh.

"All players are considered and we had a lot of discussion around Roston Chase," he said.

"When we looked at the performances of the team and the players in Bangladesh, some of those players performed exceptionally well and more or less grabbed the spots that they had and grabbed a place in the squad for this series. Players had to miss out, and Roston Chase was one of them."

Despite losing the captaincy, Holder – who is yet to speak publicly about the decision – is back in the squad for the first Test against Sri Lanka in Antigua, starting next week.

Harper said Holder remains an important player in the Test side and thanked the Barbadian for his leadership since he was elevated to the captaincy at the age of just 23.

"We must appreciate what Jason has done as captain," Harper said.

"He came in at a very young age, took the captaincy at a time when the team was a little unsettled, and he grew with the job and performed creditably. He's had his moments of success and he has grown as a player as well to become the leading allrounder in the world.

"I really think that Jason is a very integral part of the Test team and West Indies cricket going forwards. He plays all three formats and I think it's an opportunity for him to really focus on taking his game to higher levels.

"I think that with him at his best and with Kraigg given the captaincy, it's an opportunity for the team to move forwards."